


What did it feel like, when you knew that forever was in your hands?

by imperfectlyfine



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois Friendship, Background Adrinette - Freeform, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, Character Development, Chloé Bourgeois Character Development, Chloé Bourgeois Needs a Hug, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Miraculous Holder Chloé Bourgeois, Not Beta Read, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29667210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imperfectlyfine/pseuds/imperfectlyfine
Summary: "Bonsoir. It's a lovely night, my Queen.""I didn't know you would be my partner."Sometimes the moon shone brighter than the sun.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Luka Couffaine
Kudos: 36
Collections: January 2021 - Exchange





	What did it feel like, when you knew that forever was in your hands?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SunshineQi1314](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineQi1314/gifts).



> This is my entry for the ML Fanworks January Exchange~!   
> I'm sorry for the late submission.. I was held up for a bit last month, but I hope you like this!

What did it feel like, when you knew that forever was in your hands?  
Chloé Bourgeois never knew, and she would never know.   
The promise of forever could be seen everywhere, from the protective, fierce gazes exchanged by those two American fools, like every time that they saw each other, it might be the last- (What were their names again? Jessie? Aaron? Chloé didn’t care.) to the parents of that Dupain-Cheng brat, all soft and loving and just ridiculous, to her friend Adrien and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, too absorbed in each other to notice anything. (Especially her misery.)  
And here she was, all alone and isolated, her parents’ screams echoing through the quiet halls every single night, with a father who pretended that she didn’t know and a mother who couldn’t even remember her name.   
Chloé had always knew that this was just a fragile illusion, this facade of a perfect family, had fought to keep this lie intact for as long as possible, always had Adrien, who was going through something similar, if not identical, and now he was gone too, blinded by his own wish for forever and believing that Dupain-Cheng, of all people, could give it to him.   
She knew better.  
So why was she so sad, knowing that her heart was empty and always would be?   
She bit her lip, hard, feeling so damn embarrassed that she, of all people, was terrified and insecure and frightened and just wanted, so badly, to be loved, for one day-  
“My Queen,” Pollen spoke up, her warm eyes filled with worry, an unspoken question of are you okay hanging in the air.   
The blonde girl turned, her usual frown dissipating as soon as she spotted the kwami. It had took half a year before Ladybug let Chloé have Pollen again, probably having noticed how fucking lonely she was. And also since the Hawk Moth situation was getting more and more ridiculous and out of hand.   
Free labor, that’s what she was, Chloé thought scornfully as she tugged the brush through her hair, ignoring her kwami’s concerned gaze. Free labor, serving the high-and-mighty Ladybug, her sap of a partner Chat Noir, who was only there to send heart eyes in Ladybug’s direction, the two idiots who Chloé had unmasked- the wannabe DJ and the juvenile journalist- and him.   
The mysterious boy who called himself Viperion, with the blue-green eyes, the musical voice and that eerily calm disposition which, ironically, made her even more unsettled-  
“My Queen,” Pollen said again, “It’s time to go on patrol.”   
Chloé nodded sharply, forcing herself to meet her own reflection. “Pollen, buzz on.” She felt a thrill of exhilaration (which she would never admit, of course) course through her veins as the yellow-and-black striped costume wrapped around her snugly, the familiar weight of her spinning top resting against her thigh.   
She took to the air, freely soaring through the Parisian night sky, on her way towards the rendezvous point-   
And Chloé stopped.   
She was back where she had committed one of her biggest betrayals, on a rooftop overlooking the Jardins du Trocadéro. Chloé would rather die than admit that in her dreams, that day still haunted her, Chloé’s own cackle echoing and echoing in her dreams.  
Call it karma, but it seemed like Hawk Moth was determined to take her down, for he had always left her with the memories of her akumatizations, which led her to realize that forgetting was a blessing in itself, for the memories were like curses that plagued her day and night, and Chloé wished with all her heart that she could be like normal akuma victims, the events that had transpired during the akumatization blissfully wiped out of their mind as if it was just another day.   
But she was Chloé Bourgeois and the norm never applied to her.   
“Queen Bee.” The voice behind her was both familiar and unknown to her, and as she whipped around, her sky blue eyes met turquoise ones, and she let out a secret sigh of relief.  
Queen Bee tossed her hair. “Oh, it’s you,” She muttered, trying to sound less snappy while keeping up her outer defences. Viperion offered a slight smile and inclined his head. “Bonsoir,” He greeted her. “It’s a lovely night, isn’t it, my queen?”   
“I didn’t know that you were my partner,” Queen Bee said petulantly. It was always Ladybug or Chat Noir who patrolled with her, perhaps wary of her, afraid that Chloé would betray them once again.   
Viperion gave her another hesitant smile, “Ladybug couldn’t make it today, so she asked me to keep you company.” He followed Queen Bee as she raced across the rooftops, his long legs allowing him to easily catch up with her even without anything to propel him across the chasms between buildings.  
The two finished their patrol in a surprisingly companionable silence, parting with a polite “Goodnight” on Viperion’s part and a surprisingly reluctant “Hmph” on Queen Bee’s side.  
\---  
Over the course of the next few weeks the two were sent out to patrol more and more often- perhaps Ladybug had more trust in her now, or maybe she was just lazy- and Chloé found herself enjoying his company- which was utterly ridiculous-   
“Chloé!” It was Adrien, and she turned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. (Which was entirely out of character, but she would rather die than admit that she had spent all night dreaming of aqua blue eyes and musical laughs.) “What?” She snapped, with less venom than usual, waving at Sabrina distractedly as she entered the classroom.   
The blond boy walked over to her desk with his signature bright smile (Which was too bright for this abysmal time of day), and only then did Chloé realize that she had completely tuned out on whatever he was saying-   
“Chloé?” Adrien asked again, concern apparent on his delicate features.   
“I- uh, yeah, sure,” Chloé mumbled distractedly, jolting back to attention as Adrien’s forest green eyes widened before he schooled his features. “Okay, then, see you later on the Liberty,” He said uncertainly, as if Chloé had did something strange.   
Wait. “What the hell?” Chloé snapped, “Why would I go onto that trash dump of a boat?”   
A half smile played on Adrien’s face, similar to the smirks that Chat Noir often displayed. “Didn’t you just agree to go with us to Juleka’s place to hear Kitty Section this afternoon?”  
Shit.  
So that was how Chloé Bourgeois found herself aboard this so-called trash dump of a ship, surrounded by almost all of her classmates- Sabrina wouldn’t come, that coward- and feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.   
She tugged at the honey-colored cardigan that she wore over a striped top (From her mother’s brand of course, she was Chloé Bourgeois after all), and slipped out of the crowd, making her way downstairs into an extremely cramped living room area (Was it what the commoners called it? Chloé wasn’t sure)- and stopped.  
He was there.  
The boy with the mesmerizing turquoise eyes and dark curls tipped with blue, staring up at her with a bemused half-smile. A part of her was aware how fast her heart was beating, another was trying to keep up that jaded facade, and yet another could see nothing but the boy, herself, and how he was the one. 

\---

Chloé yelled in exasperation as she lost yet another round of Ultimate Mecha Strike to Luka, even more annoyed by the fact that he was laughing uncontrollably. “Come on, Chlo,” Luka teased, grabbing the controller and holding it so that it was beyond Chloé’s reach, “You’ll never beat Marinette if you go on like this.”   
Truth be told, no one could really beat Marinette, but that didn’t stop Chloé from scowling and grabbing the controller with a ferocious growl before she realized how close they were.  
She turned bright red and sat down instead, her cheeks flaming red, “Whatever,” Chloé muttered. “Let’s just do something else.”   
They ended up painting their nails.   
“Chloé, nice nails,” The next day at school, Adrien commented, causing Chloé to send him a venomous glare. “Did you get it done by a nail artist?”   
The blonde girl shook her head and bit her upper lip, which, to Adrien, was enough proof that something was up with his oldest friend. “So who did your nails for you?” He asked teasingly, a knowing smile appearing on his face, “Did you get a boyfriend or something?”   
“NO!” Chloé slammed her locker shut and stomped away.   
Adrien had hit the proverbial nail on its head. Or at least, he would soon.   
\---  
They ended up on a date, since Chloé had scored front-row tickets to Jagged Stone’s concert and a good friend would always share. (Yes, she knew how to be a good friend. Hmph.)   
It’s just platonic, she told herself, standing in front of her floor-length mirror with a sheer, sleeveless yellow dress held out before her, silky hair tied up into her signature ponytail and her baby blue eyes accentuated with ashy grey eyeshadow.  
She might’ve gone a bit overboard.  
The concert was… mediocre, as was expected, but well. Luka liked it. She flushed as he turned to face her, sporting a rare smile that she barely saw. “What do you think of the concert, Chloé?”   
The snappy retort died on her lips, replaced by a subdued “It’s fine I guess”. His blue eyes widened, “Are you sure? Do you want to get ice cream?”   
“No!” Chloé practically yelled before realizing how loud she was yelling. “Ugh, fine.”

\---  
They sat in silence side by side, the moon hanging high in the dusky sky and emanating a soft glow. Chloé watched Luka, whose eyes reflected the moonlight, and wondered.  
How had she never noticed how sometimes, the moon shone brighter than the sun?   
He turned to look at her.   
She turned to look at him.  
No words were exchanged, but-  
“Bonsoir. It’s a lovely night, my queen.”   
“I didn’t know you were my partner.”   
And then he kissed her, his lips gentle, like a spring breeze, and she closed her eyes, relishing in the smell of ocean waves and the melody that carried over the wind, one that spoke of love and the moonlight, and it was perfect.  
He was perfect.  
\---  
She was his.   
He was hers.


End file.
